The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-03-12
GOVERNOR TAYLOR AND THE
DEMOCRACY.

mlrlng constituency, and ne Is already
assailed by criticisms, censures, aud
denunciations. Hot passions have
begun to burn and blaze out, aff0rding
10 thoughtful democrats just ground
for anxiety. AS faithful sentinel on
the watch tower of democracy, We are
impelled Ivy u sense of duty to utter a
warning cry. Recent as is the origin
of this controversy it bears in its DO.
som the menace of another split, which
is already being watched with the
keenest relish by the republican party.
Surely the deep humiliation of fore
mer defeat by Internal dissensiOns is
not 30 soon forgotten surely no true
democrat wishes again to feel the
tread of republican heels upon his
neck.
Gov. Taylor is charged with having
changed his position upon the subject
of Federal aid to the states tor educa-
tional purposes, and upon the Blail
bill, proposed measure ~ grant Fed
eral aid. This is clear statement of
the points of the charges, Invested of
all extraneous matter. Is he guilty
of having deceived the people who
trusted ahd honored him, on either Of
Use subjects, or has he dealt openly
and honestly with them in giving his
views and stating his positions? To
put it more simply, has he been "in>
consistent" as charged? Passion nor
prejudice, nor friendship, nor hate,
should answer the question. Only
dispassionate reason and justice can so
conduct the inquiry as to lead us to a
correct answer. In this spirit, for the
good of the democratic party which
we love, we lay before our readers the
facts involved and our deliberate cons
illusions drawn from them.
The charge of Inconsistency" is
sought to be sustained by some of
Gov. TayIor's accusers, by relying up,
on the democratic platforms, state and
national, on which he was elected, AS
neither the one nor the other platform
names "the Blair bill" or Federal
aid" for educational purposes, this
mode of proof resolves itself into a
matter of mere construction and infer.
ence as to their meaning, and should
not be resorted to in al honest inquiry
after the truth if more direct and pos
tive evidence is before us. On this
point it is sufficient to say that, nomi-
mated and placed on the platforms by
the democracy, Gov. Taylor, 10 his
letter of acceptance and the positions
he assumed in the canvass, placed be-
fore his party his construction of them
both, and was sustained by 126, 0OC
democratic votes, and it does seem
nO,O little late to raise questions on
the platforms. The true questions are,
what were Gov. Taylor's avOwed pos
sitions on the Blair bill and on FEEDER
al aid ? and has he changedi In de-
termining these questions we believe
the mos. sensible and satisfactory
method is to see just what positions
J he actually took on these identica
questions in his letter accepting the
nomination, in his canvass, and in his
recent message to the legislature. Il
they are not consistent" the charge
is sustained if they are, 1t falls to thu
ground. Now to the record. Here il
\ what Gov. Taylor said about ed,tca.
ton and Federal aid in his letter &C
cepting the nomination for governor
II favor most positive and earnest
ly a system of universal free educa
ton, and believe that such a system
3 can best be established and Cal ried on
through the sale of our immense pub
lie domain"
In his canvass he opposed the Blai
bill as an objectional means of grant
Il ing Federal aid on two grounds
a, First, that it falsely assumed Their
J. WASH the Federal treasury surplu
, of money not applicable to the pay
. ment of the public debt, and second
because it gave the Federal govern
ment supervisory powers over stat,
schools. That he was right on tn
d first point was proven by the YER
It congress before which the bill wa
D pending authorizing the use of thi
surplus in paying the public debt,an,
o President Cleveland ordering it pai
i on the outstanding 3 per cent. bonds
The surplus was applicable to the pay
ment of the public debt, was so use
q and outside of the Objectionable Fed
. eral supervision feature which W
3 pointed out in an editorial at the timt
u the Blair bill was, as we think "a frau
= on the other point.
But back of all that lies the gret
question of Federal aid to the state
;, for educational purposes" and here
Gov. TaylOr's position on that suhiec